It Takes A Team To Create A Photograph

Meet the Assistants. This is the 4th year that Dan Bannister and his team of assistants bring us this incredible promotional piece.

Dan told me, “The Assistants is a sketchbook that I gift to art director and designer friends and clients every year. The theme is “The Assistants” because the book contains images of light tests with assistants from various commercial and editorial shoots, paired with the final finished image we were actually shooting for the client.”

I am blown away by the concept, creativity and visual character of this book. With a sketchbook feel it is full of eclectic and engaging mixed media – handwritten quotes, illustrations and of course photographs. I really enjoy the behind-the-scenes material and personalities that shine through in such a raw, and personal way. This book has been an incredibly popular promo amongst Dan’s designer and art director friends and clients. This year’s book was designed by Brian Allen, Associate Creative Director at Havas Worldwide in Toronto.

Dan says, “The Assistants is a sketchbook that I gift to art director and designer friends and clients every year. The theme is “The Assistants” because the book contains images of light tests with assistants from various commercial and editorial shoots, paired with the final finished image we were actually shooting for the client.

This year, the book was designed by Brain Allen, Associate Creative Director at Havas Worldwide. Brian combed through a huge batch of final images and their light tests that I supplied him and then incorporated the images along with hand drawn sketches he created in his own unique style to come up with the finished design.

This is the fourth year I’ve done this promo. Originally, an art director friend had suggested a sketchbook as a cool promo idea to me and I was looking for a theme for the first one when I decided it might be a nice way to say thanks to the crew of people who make it possible for me to get my work done. Originally, I approached my friend, designer Dave Deibert about doing the design for it and he was able to take it from concept to something that resonated really quickly, the first one was a huge success as a result. When we did the second one the following year, I made the decision to keep the theme the same and make it an annual thing. Now I get calls every year from designers and art directors reminding me to make sure they’re on the list to get one and even better, I get designers asking for an opportunity to design it because theres so much latitude and opportunity to really make it their own.”